


The One

by C0m3FindM3



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 15:47:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6245989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C0m3FindM3/pseuds/C0m3FindM3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tobin is a new teacher at Forest Hills Prep. Alex Morgan is a professional soccer player with a child in Tobin's class. How do you deal when you know you've found "the one"?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet Tobin

**Author's Note:**

> So, Tobin is a teacher? Is that even a possible thing? This is my first story. Be gentle please. This is going to take a little building up to get to everything so bare with me. Comment to let me know if I should continue. Thanks peeps!

Planner? Check.  
Wallet? Check.  
Keys? Check.  
One Fish, Two Fish? Check.

I'm looking around my apartment trying to decide if I've forgotten anything when I feel something jumping at my legs. I look down to see my dog. My parents couldn't understand why I got him at first. The mix of brown, black, and white in his face caught them for a loop.

"Max! It's my first day, buddy! Aren't you excited for me?" I knelt down next to him and began to scratch behind his floppy ears, the thing I love about beagles. In typical Max fashion he started kicking his legs at the sensitivity of his "sweet spot". 

Suddenly, he bolted away from me and back to my bedroom. A few seconds later he came out with his favorite blue bowl in his mouth. He sat down at my feet and stared up at me. I couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"You've all ready had breakfast, ya big goof! But, I guess you can have a little more as a treat since I am leaving you for a few hours." 

I take his bowl and give him a little bit more of his dog food and start walking back to my bedroom. He follows behind me, occasionally jumping up in the air out of excitement. When I set the bowl down in front of him he immediately digs in.

I chuckle at him once more before finally leaving the apartment and locking the door.

I almost can't believe it. One week in California and it was time to start my new job as a kindergarten teacher for Forest Hills Prep! I'm beyond excited to get the new year started and to meet my kids that I break around 30 traffic laws driving to the school. 

When I walk in the front office I'm almost immediately called to the Headmaster's office.

The Headmaster, Mrs. Davis, is an angel sent from above. She's gone out of her way to make sure I've felt welcomed before school even started. When I walked into her office she immediately sauntered over to the door.

"Tobin! Are you excited for your first day," she asks, extending her hand in greeting.

"Hi, Mrs. Davis," I say, taking her hand in mine. "I'm very excited! I'm ready to meet my class and start teaching them!" I try to keep my excitement to a minimum but it's clear she can tell I'm bursting at the seams. 

She chuckles. "Well, shall we walk down to your room to get you settled in before everyone arrives?" She waves her hand in an 'after you' motion.

"We shall!"

As we're walking down the hall she begins to tell me about my class.

"Now, Tobin, as you know we have a pretty hands-on approach to learning here at Forest Hills. It's the reason we try to keep the class size strictly at 15 students per teacher. We feel it gives the student more interaction time with the teacher if they have any questions and we know they aren't just sitting in the background shuffling by. We had a last minute enrollment to your class and we certainly didn't want to say no, so you have 16 students in your class. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Since it's the first day, and a half day, we always have the parents come in and observe the way the teacher interacts with their child. Don't be alarmed when you see a bunch of adults in your class," she chuckles, "you are teaching 5 year olds. I promise. Okay, well, here's your room, 317, and your key. You have about thirty minutes before any students should start piling in. Go get em tiger!"

She gave me a gentle pat on the back and turned to head back to her office. I took the key she gave me, unlocked the door, and stepped into my new life.


	2. Alex meets Tobin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody loves getting ready for school!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll see how this plays out!

Alex's POV 

"Eli! Come downstairs! We have to go so you aren't late for your first day!"

I swear getting that boy ready for anything was like pulling teeth. He's just like his father in that respect. I sighed knowing that he didn't have enough time to eat his breakfast. I pulled out a pack of pop tarts from the pantry for him to eat instead and made my way to the front door.

"Eli James! You have 30 seconds to get downstairs or I'm leaving without you!" I only use the first and middle name when he needs to know I'm serious. I heard a mumbled 'coming mom' before the shuffling of feet across the floor. 

I turned and grabbed my keys off of the table by the front door and looked in a mirror there. I looked presentable enough in my USA jacket and black yoga pants. I hated getting too dressed up. I'd much rather be in comfortable clothes all day. Especially on a day when I'll be hanging around a bunch of kids. 

Finally I see Eli emerge at the top of the stairs and come stomping down in his uniform. I know he hated having to wear a uniform but this was one of the best schools in the area.

"You look so handsome," I cooed at him. He looked up at me and started pulling at the red jacket buttoned over his white shirt. The jacket was a little big and covered almost half of his black dress pants. I made a mental note to fix the jacket later tonight.

"I hate this jacket. Do I have to go to this school? I just want to go to the same school as my other friends." He looked down so defeated. I instantly felt bad for him. He didn't ask for this big move to come to his life. 

I knelt down to him at eye level. "Can we at least give today a try? I promise if you actually try to make some friends today and you still don't like it, we'll go somewhere else. Deal?" I held out my pinky finger on my right hand for him to take.

As soon as those words left my mouth he was smiling from ear to ear. He took my pinky with his. "Deal."

"Okay," I said standing up. "Let's get going."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we pulled into the school parking lot it was 7:57. We only had three minutes to get inside and find his room before the teacher was supposed to start. This was going to be a wonderful first impression. 

Eli jogged ahead of me and made it to the door first but stopped just short of opening it. I could tell he was nervous. Just then, the door opened and a young woman came out holding an empty water bottle. She couldn't have been more than 30 years old and was dressed rather professionally in a red blouse and black skirt. Her brown hair was tucked behind both ears and she had a set of reading glasses perched on her nose. She didn't see Eli when she opened the door and bumped into him. I was ready to go into "mama-bear" mode when she spoke for the first time. 

"Oh! I'm so sorry, little buddy! I didn't see you there." She crouched down as much as her skirt would allow and presented her hand to my son. "My name is Tobin Heath. You can call me Miss Tobin though. What's your name?" 

At first, Eli looked skeptical but then he grasped her hand and smiled. "I'm Eli Morgan. This is my mom, Alex Morgan." He turned to look and me and smiled wide. 

"Ah! I've been waiting for you guys to show up!" 

I gave her a sheepish smile. I hate being late. 

"Well, it is certainly nice to meet you both. Are you ready to head inside?" She directed her question at Eli. I think she could tell he was nervous and just as I was about to speak up for my son, she surprised me. 

"You know, Eli, this is my first day, too. I could use a special helper for some things today. Would you like to help me?" She looked at him with the most genuine smile on her face and I knew I was going to like this woman. She was being so sweet to my son. 

"Mom, can I be her helper?" My son turned to look at me with his big doe eyes. 

"Of course, sweetie."

"Yes! High-five, little man!" Tobin enthusiastically cheered at Eli. They quickly high-fived and even did a little fist bump. It was adorable. "Why don't you go ahead inside with the rest of the class and find a place to sit on the carpet?"

When Eli walked inside she gave me a small smile before starting to walk to the water fountain down the hall. 

"Thank you." I called out to her. She turned and looked at me quizzically. I made my way over to her. "He was really nervous about being at a different school, with different people, and I think you just warmed him up to the idea of going here. So, thank you.

"It's not a problem at all." She flashed me that million dollar smile of hers and finished putting water in her bottle. I almost swooned.

"Uh, I'm Alex Morgan." I held out my hand to her. Oh god, I thought. Alex, what are you doing? She knows who you are.

She laughed whilst taking my hand. "I know."

"I know, I just wanted to reintroduce myself." Why am I being so weird and nervous? I'm usually never like this. 

"I'm Tobin Heath." She replied smoothly. 

Our hands were still connected at this point so I laughed nervously and pulled them apart. "I know."

"Oh, I know you know. I just wanted to reintroduce myself." She winked at me and chuckled again as we walked back to the classroom door. "Let's get inside." 

She opened the door and allowed me to walk in first. I didn't know much about this woman, but I sure can't wait to get to know her.


	3. First Day of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first day of school from Tobin's POV. How will this go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to leave this off here, so sorry if it's really short.

Tobin’s POV

I’m ashamed to admit, at first, I had no idea who she was. All I noticed was this gorgeous woman with piercing blue eyes. When she spoke I couldn’t get over the rasp in her voice. It was addicting. When Eli said her name it finally clicked. This was THE Alex Morgan. Forward for the US Women’s National Team. One of the greatest soccer players in the world. And she was standing in front of me, with her son, about to enter my class.

When I’m nervous, I tend to tease people and look dumb doing it because I ramble. So that’s exactly what I did. I closed the door to my classroom just as quickly as I opened it keeping us out in the hall.

“So, Alex Morgan, huh?” I crossed my arms over chest like I was contemplating something. I gave her that look like I was sizing her up.

She let out a small laugh. “Yeah, Alex Morgan. Is that okay?”

“I don’t know. Aren’t you some famous footballer?”

“Something like that.” Now she crossed her arms over her chest. “Are we not allowed in your classroom?”

I chuckled slightly. “Well that depends.”

She quirked her eyebrows at me. “Depends on what?”

“What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss story?”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “My favorite Dr. Seuss story?”

“You better choose wisely.” I smirked. “Your ability to get in my classroom depends on your answer.”

“Um, I guess I’d have to go with Green Eggs and Ham. Do I pass?”

“Do you like them in a house?”

She full-blown laughed and I found I loved the sound. “I love them in a house!”

“Okay, you may enter.” I reopened the door just to have her pull it shut this time. “Um, yes?” I looked up at her.

“What’s your favorite? Your ability to enter your own classroom depends on your answer.” She was so close to me that when she shut the door she brushed against my arm. I got goose bumps instantly.

“I’m not copying you, but my favorite is Green Eggs and Ham.”

She looked me straight in the eye for a good 10 seconds before finally speaking. She got a huge smile on her face and said, “Copy-cat!” She stuck her tongue out at me, opened the door, and walked inside.

The only thought that ran through my mind was it’s gonna be a long year.

~~~~~~~~~~

Four hours later and the day was done. I took most of the time getting to know each student; their likes and dislikes; their passions; what their favorite subjects were; the person they looked up to most. All-in-all it was a very good first day. I could see some students occasionally get distracted by Alex in the back and she looked very guilty every time I would catch someone sneaking a peak. I understood though so it didn’t bother me. It surprised me a little when she came up to my desk after class. I was leaning against it watching all the students and parents file out. 

“Uh, Tobin? Hey, I’m sorry about being distracting. I didn’t mean to take away from your lesson.” She looked so adorable looking down at the ground.

“It’s completely fine. I honestly didn’t expect them to pay me any attention with you here.” I wouldn’t have, I thought. I assumed I thought that statement. Apparently I said it out loud.

“And just why wouldn’t you have paid any attention?” She smirked.

I decided to play it cool. “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” I motioned with her to come closer with my finger so I could whisper in her ear. “Old people freak me out.”

I couldn’t contain my smile or laugh at the look on her face. She tried to look upset but couldn’t quite pull it off because she succumbed to her own laughter.

“I’ll get you back for that one. Mark my words.” She took her pointer and middle finger and made a pointing gesture between her eyes and mine. “I got my eye on you, Teach.” She turned around to find Eli patiently waiting. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go get some lunch, yeah?”

He wriggled his hand out of hers. “One second.”

What happened next is the reason I teach. If I can help just one student have a better day and learn something, I’ve done my job. He came over to me and enveloped me in a hug. I quirked my eyes at Alex and she just smiled.

“Thanks for making me your helper,” he whispered in my ear. I didn’t really let him do much. He just went and got crayons and paper if I needed it. I knew it would make him feel like a vital part of the whole school operation.

“Any time, buddy. Any time.” I hugged him back.

When he pulled away he looked up at me with this cute pout on his face. “Can I be your helper again tomorrow?”

I put both hands on his shoulders. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

We quickly had a fist pound moment which elicited a chuckle from Alex. “Okay, mom. We can go.”

“Bye, Teach,” Alex waved walking out.

“Bye, Morgan,” I grinned at her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Family is one of the most important things in my life. I’m extremely close to my family so I called my parents as soon as I got home to let them know how things were going. It’s a big step for them to know that their daughter moved from New Jersey all the way out to California to be a teacher.

“How was your first day? Tell me everything,” my mom, Cindy, asked.

“It was really great, mom. My students are fantastic. The parents seem like they’ll be very involved in the school. I couldn’t have asked for a better group,” I gushed.

“Did you really have to go to California to find that group, kiddo,” my dad, Jeff, piped in.

“Do you miss me or something, dad,” I teased.

He scoffed playfully. “Not at all. Why would I miss my baby girl? That’s crazy talk!”

We all laughed. “Yeah, okay, dad. Whatever you say. Oh! I forgot to tell you guys whose child is in my class. Alex Morgan!”

“The soccer player,” my mom questioned.

“Yup. I have her son Eli in my class. He’s so sweet. He’s my ‘special helper’ to help calm his nerves some.”

“That’s great, Tobin. Do you think you could get me an autograph,” my dad joked. “That’s worth a lot of money!”

I laughed. “Yeah, dad. I’ll just ask her for her autograph so you can immediately go sell it.” 

While I was talking Max walked over to where I was laying on my couch and dropped his leash by my feet. “Hey, guys. I gotta go. Max is informing me that it’s time for his walk.” I giggled. “I’ll call you guys later on this week, okay?”

“Sounds good, honey. Be good,” my mom answered.

“Don’t get into any trouble, kid,” my dad replied.

“I won’t! I love you both! Bye,” I replied.

“We love you. Bye,” they said at the same time.

After I hung up and swung my feet off the couch Max was ready to go. He picked up the leash and held it in his mouth while steadily wagging his tail.

“Silly boy,” I laughed. “Come on.”

I quickly changed into my UNC t-shirt, some mesh shorts, and running shoes. I fastened the leash on him, grabbed a soccer ball, and out the door we went.

I decided to take a longer route this time so that we could get a decent jog in. We went around the neighborhood 3 times and then down the street to the local park. 

The park has a soccer field next to a tiny pond area. I've found that it's really gorgeous at night right at sunset and I love coming out here and taking shots at the net. It's a great place to relax and think.

And think I definitely did. 

I couldn't get Alex out of my mind. Alex Morgan. People always dream about what it would be like to meet famous people and how the interaction would go, but I never thought I'd actually meet one. Especially not as big as her. And she's so nice. I was a little surprised that the conversation and teasing came so naturally. I really enjoy talking to her and wish that she wasn't my students mom. I can't pursue any kind of relationship with her. That is against just about every rule in the book. 

I started taking more shots on goal when my phone rang. 

"Hey, KO! What's up," I said enthusiastically. KO, Kelley O'Hara, has been one of my best friends for a few years. She's actually the one that convinced me to take the job here saying that I would love Cali as much as she does.

"Hey-oh, Tobs! What are you doing? I'm bored," she screamed into the phone. 

"I'm down at the park at the soccer field with Max. What do you wanna do?"

"Movie night at your place?"

"We can do that. Just, please, pick a movie we haven't seen before," I sighed. 

"I make no promises." 

And just like that the line went dead.

I looked over at Max. "I'll kill her if she picks Harry Potter. Let's go!" I picked up Max's leash and the soccer and started jogging back home.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Tobin. This is one of the greatest film series of all time. You can't just say no to Harry Potter," Kelley reasoned. She sprawled out on my couch surrounding herself with soda, chips, and candy and had been arguing for Harry Potter for the last 10 minutes. 

"I'm pretty sure I can when we watch it every single time we're together! And what are you doing, traitor," I spat at Max. He was currently curled up next to Kelley, obviously waiting patiently for her to give him something.

Kelley laughed. "He's agreeing with me that his mom is nuts for not wanting to watch Harry Potter. I mean, that's got to be the most un-American thing someone can do."

"It's not even an American book!" I exclaimed. 

"That's not the point! Come on, Tobs. Pleaseeeee, I'll let you pick next time I promise," she pleaded.

"Okay, fine. We can watch Harry Potter. But I get to pick which one!"

"That's fine with me," she retorted putting her hands up in surrender.

While the movie is playing I'm completely distracted thinking about my class, and also a certain famous forward. I can’t stop thinking about her laugh, her eyes, or the teasing tone in her voice. She was even sweet enough to speak to some of the students after class. I’ve never met anyone I wanted to be friends with, maybe more, but can’t. That could get ugly if someone claims I'm showing favoritism. What am I even thinking? She's a professional soccer player. I'm probably barely going to see her anyway. She'll be traveling with both her club team and the national team. I'm just stressing over nothing. 

Kelley picked up on my internal struggle.

“Dude. What is up with you? This is your favorite Harry Potter and you’re barely paying attention.”

“Nothing. Sorry,” I mumbled.

She paused the movie. “I’m not restarting that until you tell me what is bothering you. I’ve known you for years, Tobs. Fess up.”

“What was it like for you when you first realized you may have been attracted to girls,” I blurted.

Her eyes went wide. “Tobin, are you saying you like a woman?”

“I don’t know, Kell. It’s ridiculous to even think that I like someone having only met them today. Plus I don't really know anything about her. Just some of things that I've read online, and God only knows if those are true or not."

"Wait, what do you mean 'read online'? Who is this chick?" She questioned.

I looked down sheepishly. "A-Alex Morgan."

Kelley had just gone to take a sip of her Coke when I said that. She spit all of it out over my couch. 

"Dude! Come on! This is my favorite couch! Are you serious," I said jumping up to get a towel. 

"Um, excuse me. I'm sorry, but you don't get to be mad. You gave me no indication that she was gonna be the girl you mentioned," she retorted. "I'm allowed to have so soda spillage."

I grabbed a towel and cleaned up said spill while she continued.

"Alex Morgan. Alex Morgan, forward for the Portland Thorns, soon to be Orlando Pride, and the National Team? That's the girl you like? Tobin how did this even happen?"

"I don't know, Kelley. What am I gonna do?"


	4. Alex's life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has a heart to heart with her mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry guys for the delay. Spring break ended and then I had a ton of test and presentations. I still have a ton of tests and presentations (I hate college haha). I hope this chapter isn't too terrible for you guys. I only have three more weeks of classes and then I'm home free for the summer. I'm going to try to update on the weekends until then. They may not be the longest chapters. I promise that the chapters will be longer and better over summer. Let me know what you think so far?

Alex’s POV

“Are you buckled,” I asked my son from the front seat. I quickly looked in the rearview mirror to see him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he smiled.

“Okay, where would you like to have lunch, sweetie?”

I watched his face as he contemplated his answer. “Can we go to Grandma’s house? I want her grilled cheese sandwich.”

I laughed. “Sure, we can go to Grandma’s house.” I pulled out of the school parking lot and got on the road before I started talking to him again. “How did you like school?”

“Miss Tobin is so cool,” he exclaimed. “I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!”

Miss Tobin is cool, I thought. I said, “I’m glad you like it, baby.”

~~~~~~~~~~  
“Eli! Come here, big boy,” my mom bellowed when we pulled up in her driveway. “What a surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you two.” She had been sitting on the porch in jean shorts and a white tank top drinking some lemonade.

Eli jumped in her arms for a hug when she started walking over to us. “I just got done with my first day of school, Grandma! Can you make me a grilled cheese, please?”

My mom looked at me when I walked up to where her and Eli were standing. “Do you not feed this child” she joked.

I hugged her. “He wanted one of your grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.”

She laughed. “Okay then. Let’s get little man a grilled cheese.”

~~~~~~~~~~  
“So,” my mom started after she fixed Eli his food and sent him to watch cartoons, “how was Eli’s first day?”

“It went really well. I think he really likes it. Especially his teacher.”

“It’s always a great thing to like your teacher.”

“She’s pretty great,” I gushed. “I think he’ll learn a lot from her.”

“What does Servando say about you guys staying here?”

I sighed. “When I told him I don’t think he quite wanted to believe it. I told him when we took Eli to the park in Orlando and he just laughed, said that was funny, and went over to where Eli was playing. We didn’t talk about it again. Every time I tried to bring it up he would change the subject.” I looked down at my hands resting on table. “I don’t think he realizes that we’re over. We haven’t been a couple for years.”

My mom reached over and grabbed my hands. “Sweetie, you know I like Servando. He was always so good to you and we could tell he adored the ground you walked on.” She took one of her hands and put her fingers under my chin to lift my head up. “You don’t have to feel bad that things didn’t work out. Sometimes people just grow apart. It’s nobody’s fault. You have to do what you feel is best for you and Eli. What have you decided as far as Eli goes? I assume you’ll still have Servando in his life.”

“Of course! Serv is an amazing father. I don’t want to take Eli from him. I have no intention of doing that,” I stated, quite animatedly. “I guess he’ll go to school here in California for right now and Serv can have him on breaks if he’s not busy. Obviously he can visit whenever he wants.”

“I’m assuming this means you didn’t tell him you wanted a divorce,” she questioned. I know I looked at her with sad eyes because she immediately took me in her arms. “Oh, baby. It’s okay. Things will work out. I promise. Why don’t you and Eli stay here tonight? I’ll make up the guest bedroom.”

She didn’t wait for me to answer before she got up and told Eli we were staying the night much to his delight. I’m glad she always seems to know what I need before I do. I don’t know what I would do with her. 

After my mom finished with the guest bedroom she said she was going outside to work in her flowerbeds. I walked into the living room with Eli and started to play go fish with him. All the while I couldn’t help but think about a certain teacher. I’ve never seen Eli open up to someone so quickly so I knew there was something special about her. On top of that she was quick to tease and joke around with me. Most people wouldn’t do that and I appreciated her comfort with me. It just makes me want to get to know her more. 

The more I thought about her the more I knew I needed to talk to Servando about our future together and how things were going to play out. I didn’t want to hurt him but I felt that it was probably going to happen.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Eli won. “Mom! I won! I beat you,” he jumped up and down ecstatically. 

“Good job, honey! Why don’t you go see if Grandma needs any help outside? Mom needs to make a quick phone call.”

“Okay!” He gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking out the front door.

~~~~~~~~~~  
RING…RING…RING

“Alex, hey,” Servando voiced.

“Hey, Serv. Are you busy?”

“No. I’m actually really glad you called. I’m making some final arrangements for you and Eli to get here and I was just wanting to confirm on the time. When does your flight land on Saturday?”

I knew this was going to happen. I had a feeling that he wouldn’t believe me when I told him I wasn’t going to Orlando two weeks ago. I know it’s difficult to hear that your wife and son won’t be joining you in the city that you built your life in. 

“Serv, I told you. We aren’t going out there. I’ve spoken to the league, Orlando, and Portland and I’ll be staying in Portland this season. Besides, Eli just had his first day of school. I can’t pull him out when school has already been going on for two weeks in Orlando.”

“Alex, why are you doing this? We’re a family. We’re supposed to be together. What happened? What changed all of our plans together?”

I could hear the sadness in his tone and it broke my heart. “Serv, we barely see each other. You have your team commitments just like I have mine. I know going to Orlando was going to be it for us. It was going to help, but we barely talk. We’ve both changed so much. When we do talk we mostly fight. We do things completely different when it comes to Eli. We don’t really parent him together. Our lives have gone in different directions and that’s not anyone’s fault. It just happened.” 

I tried using what my mom had just told me. I think I was trying to convince myself more than him.

“So, what are you saying? Where does this leave us,” he questioned.

I let out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “I think we should get a divorce.”


	5. The Right Thing To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin panics and loses her cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm completely using you guys as a distraction from studying for my final tomorrow. Enjoy this chapter because I worked on this instead of studying for my sexual psychology exam. Only one more exam after that one and I am home free and can start working on this regularly! Yay! Okay, go read it :)

Tobin's POV  
  
"Okay, can you explain from the beginning how Alex fucking Morgan is the girl you're talking about," Kelly mused.  
  
I rolled my eyes at her. "Her son is in my class and for the first day the parents go to class with them. She was there and I was just nice to her kid and that's really it."  
  
"Oh please. There's more to it if it's got you this worked up so you better start spilling right now."  
  
I took my place on the couch next to her and recounted our conversation, and the teasing, and the goosebumps I felt, then I let her take it all in.  
  
It's crazy, right? I shouldn't feel anything for Alex. I don't even know her. No. I don't like her, I mused to myself. I'm just being crazy. Her blue eyes and raspy voice aren't adorable. They are two features of my student' mother. Nothing more. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear wasn't cute. It was just a natural reaction that everybody does at some point. Her laugh isn't the greatest sound I've ever heard. A soccer ball hitting the back of a net is the greatest sound I've ever heard.  
  
"HELLO. EARTH TO TOBIN," Kelly screamed.  
  
"Huh? What?" I physically shook my head to get away from my thoughts.  
  
"I've been trying to get your attention for last two minutes. Sounds like you've got it bad, buddy," she threw her arm around my shoulders. "What are you going to do?"  
  
I sighed in defeat. "Nothing."  
  
"What do you mean you aren't going to do anything? It's Alex Morgan. Are you crazy? You have to do something. You can't just-"  
  
"She's my student's mother, Kelly," I interrupted her. "I can't do anything. It's a conflict of interest, not to mention completely unethical, it's against the rules, oh, and the biggest thing: she probably doesn't even feel the same way about me."  
  
"But, Tobin, how will you-"  
  
"No!" I got up off the couch. Kelly looked at me startled. I don't yell. It's not my thing. "I'm sorry, but it can't happen, Kell." She nodded in understanding. "Can we just forget this ever got mentioned and go back to Harry Potter? I believe he's about to go into the prefect's bathroom," I smiled.  
  
"Sure, Tobs," she motioned for me to sit next to her again. She pulled me under her arm and grabbed the blanket that was laying across the top of the couch and threw it over both of us. "We won't mentioned this again."  
  
I smiled at her gratefully as we finished watching the movie.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
I know it was wrong but I panicked. I didn't know what to do and I know that this definitely wasn't the best choice, but it's what I came up with at the time and I regret it. I regret the way Alex is looking like her day has just been ruined, as she gets ready to drive off.  
  
She showed up to drop Eli off for school and I basically gave her the cold shoulder.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
_I opened the door to greet Eli and help him get his things out of the car._  
  
_"Hey, Eli! How are you this morning, bud?"_  
  
_He unfastened his seat belt and quickly reached over to grab his bag. "Hi, Miss Tobin! I'm still going to be your special helper today, right? Please! Please! Please!"_  
  
_"Eli," Alex giggled, "why don't you let Miss Tobin answer you. Hello, Teach," she directed at me with her big smile. "Still have a problem with footballers?"_  
  
_Her giggle isn't cute. No, it can't be cute, I thought._  
  
_I nodded in her direction but didn't say anything. "Yes, Eli, of course your my helper. Say goodbye to your mom so we can get going."_  
  
_I briefly looked up and noticed Alex looking at me quizzically. Like she knew something was off._  
  
_No, don't look into her eyes. Don't get lost in her eyes. Pull yourself together, Tobin. Student's mother. Student's mother. Student's mother, I chanted over and over again in my head._  
  
_Eli's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Bye mommy! I love you! Mwah!" He blew her a kiss and jumped down from the backseat._  
  
_"Bye, Eli. I love you, too."_  
  
_I glanced at her once more before closing the door and got the sad smile before she drove away._  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
I looked down at my watch one last time. 2:45. School let out 45 minutes ago and Alex still hasn't shown up to get Eli.  
  
We had been sitting out at the car port this whole time watching each parent come pick up their child. I wasn't mad that she didn't show up but I could tell Eli was getting a little upset.  
  
"Hey, buddy," I knelt down next to him. "Why don't you come back to my classroom with me? I'm sure your mom will be here any minute."  
  
He mumbled an affirmative and I knew he was tired and just wanted to go home.  
  
We walked back to my class and I started cleaning things up while Eli sat on the carpet. He picked a tennis ball from one of the bins by the carpet and started tossing it up to himself.  
  
After a few moments he started to speak.  
  
"I can't believe she forgot me," he said.  
  
"She didn't forget you, sweetie," I tried consoling him. "She's probably just running late or something came up."  
  
"Yeah, you're right, Miss Tobin."  
  
Right on cue, Alex walks through the door.  
  
"Eli, I am so sorry," she said rushing to the boy and bending down to his eye level. She was wearing a white US Soccer shirt and navy blue shorts. Her hair was held perfectly together because of her pink pre-wrap. "Practice ran late and I let the time get away from me. Can you forgive me?"  
  
"It's okay," he smiled. "Miss Tobin stayed with me."  
  
She looked over at me and my heart clenched. Her smile was filled with gratefulness and apologies.  
  
She turned back to Eli. "Baby, why don't you go wait outside? I need to talk to Miss Tobin."  
  
"Okay, mommy."  
  
Eli picked up his bag and walked over to me. I bent down so I could look him in the eye.  
  
"Thanks for staying with me, Miss Tobin," he squeaked out.  
  
He put his hand up for a fist bump. I chuckled while shaking my head, but still completed bringing my fist to his. This kid was something else. "It was no problem, Eli."  
  
He smiled and began walking to the door.  
  
Oh crap. He's walking to the door. He's leaving me with his mom. This is not good. I need to make this short and quick.  
  
"Tobin," Alex began before I cut her off.  
  
"Miss Heath," I corrected. "It's probably best if you call me Miss Heath. You are my student's mother after all."  
  
If it was possible her face fell even more from this morning. I know it's absurd to suddenly flip a switch and go from nice to absolutely cold to her, but I don't have a choice. This isn't professional and I can't potentially risk my job for someone that doesn't feel the same. I still don't even understand how I feel.  
  
"Okay, Miss Heath, thank you for staying with Eli. The national team has a friendly at the end of this month and this is one of the camps before it. We did a scrimmage and I lost track of time, and I rushed to get here as fast as-"  
  
I held up my hand and cut her off. "It's completely okay. Stuff comes up some of the time that causes things like this to happen."  
  
She smiled and her eyes lit up slightly after my previous comment.  
  
"I know, but it's not your job to look after my child, so thank you. I'm really grateful," she looked down, almost bashful for some reason now.  
  
"Don't mention it. It really was no problem at all," I said as I began to walk around my room and clean up toys off the ground. She followed suit. "Hey, you don't need to clean up my room," I told her.  
  
"I know I don't. I just want to be helpful since you helped me," she remarked. "Also, I want to ask if you're okay. You seemed," she paused looking for the right words, "out of it this morning when I dropped Eli off. Like you were upset about something. I wanted to check on you," she smiled when we met in the center of the room, our hands both full of toys.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," I took the toys from her hands and put them in the basket, quickly turning away from her to place the basket behind my desk. "You should probably get going. Eli's waiting and I've got to go over my lesson plan for tomorrow."  
  
Her face fell for the third time that day and I don't know if I could stand to look at it again. I just wanted to go over and comfort her and apologize for my attitude but I know this is how it has to be.  
  
"Have a good rest of the day, Miss Heath," she responded and exited quickly, not even hearing my farewell.  
  
"This is for the best, Heath. You know it is," I muttered as I sat down at my desk. "It's the right thing to do."


	6. Krashlyn calls out Baby Horse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krashlyn can be helpful? Maybe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I clearly enjoy not studying for finals! Just kidding, but I figured I had to post a chapter after Alex had quite a few too many sad face moments in the last chapter. Enjoy!

Alex's POV

"What do you mean, 'a divorce', Alex," Servando asked through the phone.

"Serv, I travel a lot between the national team and the Thorns. You travel a lot for Orlando. We barely see each other. That's not a marriage, much less a relationship. I just think this is for the best," I say gently. I don't want to upset him any more than necessary.

"What about Eli? I'm just supposed to give him up."

"No," I say quickly. "I want you apart of his life. You're his dad."

"I still don't know why we enrolled him in school in California when I live in Orlando and you live in Portland," he sighed.

"You know why. When we're traveling with club teams this is easier so he has my parents. He needs some stability. Plus I only have 6 weeks left in the season and then I can be with him unless there are camps for the national team."

What I didn't tell him was that NWSL, in addition to creating Orlando Pride, created the Los Angeles Sharks and I was moving to them instead. Alex Morgan, starting forward for the Sharks was a fact only known to about four people. This would put me playing 30 minutes away from Eli's school. It was the reason I had my own place in Diamond Bar instead of staying with my parents.

He sighed. "Alex, can we please work this out? I don't want to lose you."

I could feel myself becoming emotional and I knew I needed to end the call. I didn't want to hurt him and I certainly didn't want to give in to him and stop what was necessary. "I don't think we can, Serv. I have to go. I need to get outside with Eli and my mom. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Bye Alex." He paused for a second and let out a deep breath. "I love you."

"Bye, Serv."

I hung up and let the silent tears fall.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Eli! This is not going to be an every morning thing. Get downstairs! We are not going to be late today!"

I walked back into the kitchen and picked up my coffee on the counter. I could feel my mom's eyes on me.

"What," I asked.

"Does that sort of yelling actually work," she chuckled.

"It worked for me, Jen, and Jeri," I chuckled.

"Fair enough," she conceded. "I saw you after the phone call through the window. Servando?"

I nodded my head.

"You told him?"

I nodded my head again.

"Well?"

"Obviously, he wasn't a fan of the idea," I sighed.

"I'm sorry you're going through this, honey," she said as she came over and hugged me.

"It's okay, mom. This needs to happen. I just don't know what Eli is going to say."

"What am I going to say about what, mommy?"

We both turned to see Eli standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'll tell you later, sweetie. Ready to go? You've got school and I have practice," I said walking over to him.

I was currently away from Portland for a national team camp here in LA.

"Yes! Let's go see Miss Tobin," he stated gleefully before running to the front door.

I chuckled. "Let's go see Miss Tobin."

I threw a smile and 'bye' over my shoulder to my mom and walked out the front door.

~~~~~~~~~~

When we pulled into the school there was a line where parents were dropping their children off. It looked like the teachers were gathering the students out of the cars. I pulled up as far as I could and saw Tobin walking up to the door.

She opened the door and immediately smiled when she saw Eli.

"Hey, Eli! How are you this morning, bud?"

He unfastened his seat belt and quickly reached over to grab his bag. "Hi, Miss Tobin! I'm still going to be your special helper today, right? Please! Please! Please!"

"Eli," I giggled, "why don't you let Miss Tobin answer you. Hello, Teach," I turned to her and smiled. "Still have a problem with footballers?"

I could almost immediately see that something was off. It was almost like she was forcing herself not to look at me.

She nodded in my direction but didn't say anything to me. She did answer Eli. "Yes, Eli, of course you're my helper. Say goodbye to your mom so we can get going."

She briefly looks up at me and I cock my head slightly to the side trying to understand her. What's going on? Why is there a sudden switch in her attitude toward me? I don't think I did or said anything offensive to her. Maybe she actually wasn't okay with all of the attention I got yesterday.

Eli's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Bye mommy! I love you! Mwah!" He blew me a kiss and jumped down from the backseat.

"Bye, Eli. I love you, too."

Tobin looked at me again and I could only smile sadly. What is going on?

~~~~~~~~~~

"Morgan! Get your head in the game," Jill yelled across the pitch.

I've already missed 5 goals, didn't run up to meet 3 crosses, and actually fouled Julie. I couldn't stop thinking about Tobin's behavior earlier. I know I don't know her well, but with how she acted in the classroom yesterday I just get the feeling she's really chill, laid back, and nice. That's not what I just saw.

"Actually," Jill called, "why don't we take five? You guys get some water and then we'll get back at."

I jogged over to the sideline, grabbed a water bottle, and sat down against the stands. I look up and see Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger making their way to me.

"What's up, Baby Horse? I never block that many of your shots," Ashlyn laughs.

"Babe, not the time," Ali responds. "What's up, Alex? You're not focused."

They both move so they are sitting on either side of me.

"I've just got a lot of stuff going on and I'm letting it mess with me. I'll be good after the water break. I promise," I smile.

Ali slung her arm around my shoulders. "You know we don't care how you practice or play." I heard Ashlyn mumble 'speak for yourself' and couldn't help but chuckle. Ali just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Are you okay? Do you need to talk about anything?"

"I told Servando I wanted a divorce." I just led with that because these two are my good friends and I would've told them eventually.

"What?! Alex that's huge," Ashlyn screamed.

People started looking at us so I clamped my hand over her mouth. "Can you not broadcast it to the whole team? I haven't told anyone. The only person that knows is my mom."

She held up her hands in surrender and I removed my hand. "I'm sorry, Alex. If you need anything you know that I'm here for you. Ali is as well."

Ali nodded and squeezed my shoulder. "Is there anything else?"

Should I tell them about Tobin? I mean it's not even that big of deal, yet it's bothering me so much. Why did she ignore me?

"Tell us," Ashlyn commanded. "And don't try to say it's nothing. That long pause tells me that there's something else you aren't saying."

"Ash, if she doesn't want to tell us she doesn't have to," Ali scolded her.

"No, it's okay, Ali. She's right," I said.

"See. I'm right," Ashlyn stuck her tongue out at Ali.

Ali shook her head from side-to-side playfully. "You're a child," she directed at Ashlyn. "What is it then, Alex," she asked me.

"It's Eli's teacher. His first day was yesterday and everything was going well. She's really sweet and gets along well with all of her kids. Her and I got along well. It was like we were old friends with how we went back and forth joking around with each other. When I dropped Eli off this morning she was," I paused searching for the right word, "cold, I guess. She wouldn't look at me or talk to me. I don't know what happened overnight," I sighed.

I didn't realize I was going to spill everything so quickly, especially when I don't even understand what's going on.

I could tell they were both trying to process what I had just said because they kept stealing looks at each other. Finally Ashlyn spoke up, but I kept my head down looking at the grass.

"I don't know what to tell, Baby Horse. Try talking to her about it? Maybe something happened last night that just has her bummed."

"Yeah," Ali agreed. "She probably just had a lot on her mind because something could've happened with her last night. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, I guess you guys are right."

I looked over to Ali and I saw her shake her head no and she was giving Ash a stern look. "What? What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Ali replied quickly.

"Ash," I looked over at her. "I know she's your girlfriend, but please tell me. Ash and Baby Horse don't keep secrets from each other."

Ashlyn looked at Ali pleadingly. I turned around to see Ali shake her head yes and sigh.

"Why does it bother you so much about this woman," she asked.

"What do you mean?" I really wasn't sure what she meant.

"Do you just want to be friends with her, or, maybe something more?"

I was shocked. "What? No! Don't be crazy! I don't even know her. I just want to understand why she blew me off."

"Woah," she held up her hands in surrender. "Calm down, Baby Horse. It was just a question."

"I know, but it's ridiculous," I scoffed. "I don't know her. This can't be a 'something more' situation. Plus, I'm still married."

Ali spoke up now. "Okay, Alex. We understand. Just know we're here if you want to talk. Come on we have to get back."

We all stood up, walked back on the pitch, and resumed practice.

They're crazy. I don't like her. I don't even know her. She's just my son's teacher. It's only natural that I want a good relationship with her. The banter that we have is just a bonus. And it's not weird to like her smile or laugh. You can like that about a person and not be attracted to them. Although she is easy to look at. And she's smart. And the conversation with her is better than its been with Servando in years. And she makes me smile and laugh so easily. And she's so good with Eli. I've never seen him take to someone so quickly. He wasn't even this attached to Ashlyn when he first met her.

Maybe I am attracted to her?

~~~~~~~~~~

"Crap, Eli is going to kill me," I muttered as I pulled in to the school parking lot. I was 45 minutes late. I jogged through the school to get to Tobin's classroom and saw her and Eli in there.

"Eli, I am so sorry," I said rushing to him and bending down to his eye level. "Practice ran late and I let the time get away from me. Can you forgive me?"

"It's okay," he smiled. "Miss Tobin stayed with me."

I looked over to Tobin and smiled in appreciation.

I turned back to Eli. "Baby, why don't you go wait outside? I need to talk to Miss Tobin."

"Okay, mommy."

Eli picked up his bag and walked over to her. She bent down so she could look him in the eye. She was wearing black dress pants this time so she was able to bend over to him more.

"Thanks for staying with me, Miss Tobin," he squeaked out.

He put his hand up for a fist bump. She chuckled but complied with the request. "It was no problem, Eli."

He smiled and walked out the door.

"Tobin," I started, but she cut me off.

"Miss Heath," she corrected. "It's probably best if you call me Miss Heath. You are my student's mother after all."

I was shocked again. It was like I meant nothing to her at all when I could barely stop my thoughts all day from going to her. I know my smile faltered and she saw because she quickly looked away from me.

"Okay, Miss Heath, thank you for staying with Eli. The national team has a friendly at the end of this month and this is one of the camps before it. We did a scrimmage and I lost track of time, and I rushed to get here as fast as-"

She held up a hand and cut me off, again. "It's completely okay. Stuff comes up some of the time that causes things like this to happen."

I smiled slightly at her because I know she was being polite.

"I know, but it's not your job to look after my child, so thank you. I'm really grateful." I looked down at my feet. She makes me nervous and I never get nervous.

"Don't mention it. It really was no problem at all," she said and started walking around the room picking up toys. I started to help. "Hey, you don't need to clean up my room," she said.

"I know I don't. I just want to be helpful since you helped me," I stated. I decided to see if something was wrong like Ali and Ashlyn suggested. "Also, I want to ask if you're okay. You seemed," I paused looking for the right words so I didn't offend her, "out of it this morning when I dropped Eli off. Like you were upset about something. I wanted to check on you," I smiled gently at her when we met in the center of the room, our hands both full of toys.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," she took the toys from my hands and put them in the basket, then out the basket behind the desk. She wouldn't look at me again. "You should probably get going. Eli's waiting and I've got to go over my lesson plan for tomorrow."

I stopped smiling at her.

"Have a good rest of the day, Miss Heath," I responded quickly and walked out the door. I didn't want to hear what she had to say.

If she doesn't care, why should I?


	7. Tobin falls Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin talks to herself. Quite a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so so so sorry for the delay. I've been dealing with some family things and then I had no idea where I wanted this chapter to go, and then I just completely hated where it was going so I rewrote it about 5 times. I'm still not even sure if I like this one, but I figured I needed to get something out to you guys. Let me know what you think?

Tobin’s POV  
  
“You ignored her?! That was your big plan,” Kelley screamed while kicking the soccer ball back to me. Max was running back and forth in between us trying to stop the ball but failing each time.  
  
After school I called Kelley up and asked her to come to the park with me to clear my head. I explained what happened with Alex and clearly she wasn’t happy.  
  
“Kelley, I didn’t mean to be cold towards her. I just needed it to be clear that we can’t continue with whatever it was we had. We have to be professional,” I sighed.  I kicked the ball clear across the field allowing Max to chase after it while I took a seat on the ground. Kelley handed me a bottle of water and crouched next to me.  
  
“Tobin, I love you, okay? You know that. I support you in whatever you decide to do. It’s what best friends are for. However, I should point out that as your best friend I’m also allowed to inform you when you’re being ridiculous.”  
  
I rolled my eyes at her. “Go ahead then. Tell me what I’m supposed to do since you seem to be an expert with everything.”  
  
Max came trotting over nudging the ball with his nose. She chuckled and kicked the ball for him to chase after again. “I’m definitely not an expert in teaching a dog to bring a soccer ball back. How did you get him to do that anyway?”  
  
“It’s just a big ball, Kell. He’d be fine if it was a stick. Now, back to the I’m ‘ridiculous’ thing.”  
  
“Yeah, right. Nobody is saying you have to marry her. Hell, I’m not even saying you have to date her. She’s going to Orlando, remember? But you deserve to have friends, Tobs. Obviously not best friends, because that position is taken,” she gestured up and down at herself, “but you can have more friends. It might be nice for you to have someone new to talk to. Just think about it is all I’m saying.”  
  
“I have thought about it,” I shouted. Several people around the park looked over at us and I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”  
  
“You did,” Kelley smirked. “You yelled out of frustration and you’re getting defensive. You’re only getting defensive because you care. Take a chance, Tobin. What’s the worst that could possibly happen?”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
"Eli! You can just go running off to strange car, buddy," I chased after him at the car port after school the next day.  
  
"It's my grandma, Miss Heath," he replied swinging open the backseat door to an unfamiliar white suv.  
  
The older woman in the front seat whipped around and lifted up her sunglasses. "Eli! How was school?"  
  
I could tell by looking at her face that she resembled Alex, but I had to be sure.  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am," I said holding onto Eli's shoulders preventing him from climbing into the car completely, "who are you? I've only ever seen his mom pick him up, and it would be ill-advised for me to just let him go with a stranger. His mom also didn't mention anything this morning about someone else picking him up."  
  
She laughed lightly and it sounded just like Alex. "I appreciate you looking out for my grandson." She opened up her wallet and showed me her driver's license which read: Pamela Morgan. She even showed me a picture of Alex with two other women that she keeps in her wallet from the looks of how worn out it is. "Alex is my daughter, Miss?"  
  
"Heath. Tobin Heath," I supplied.  
  
"Miss Heath," she nodded. "She had to go to Oregon for the weekend so I'm picking Eli up."  
  
"Mommy is in Oregon," Eli asked sadly.  
  
"She is, but don't look so sad sweetie. We're going, too! Your mom all ready booked our flight," she smiled at his immediate happy face.  
  
Even though all signs pointed to this woman being who she said she was, I still wanted to be absolutely certain. "Look, I'm sorry to be so persistent but would you mind parking your car and coming in so I can call Alex and make sure?"  
  
She sighed and smiled. "Sure. Again, I appreciate you looking out for my grandson. Back away from the door, Eli. I'll be right back."  
  
She pulled off and I looked down at Eli.  
  
"That is my grandma, Miss Heath," he huffed.  
  
"I don't doubt it, Eli, but I have to make sure. I can't just send you home with someone and I have no idea who they are. That wouldn't be very good of me," I tried reasoning with him.  
  
"Because you care about me?"  
  
I chuckled. "Yeah, I care about you, Eli."  
  
His "grandmother" walked up to us and threw her purse over her shoulder. "So, where to?"  
  
We walked back to my classroom and I pulled up the file I had on Eli and his mom. I started digging around until I could find the information card that had Alex's number along with Eli's emergency contact.  
  
"You know," Pam Morgan called to me while walking around the room, "you could've just asked me for her cell number."  
  
I smiled. "I'm still verifying you, ma'am."  
  
I grabbed my phone and I called Alex's cell phone. She picked up on the third ring.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Alex?"  
  
"Who is this," she mumbled.  
  
"Tobin Heath."  
  
"Oh, Miss Heath. What can I do for you?"  
  
When she said Miss Heath I felt a pang in my chest. I don't want her calling me Miss Heath. I miss the way she said Tobin, or even Teach. I could even hear in her voice how guarded she became.  
  
"I was just wanting to know about the woman picking up Eli from school. I didn't realize you weren't picking him up and I didn't want him getting into a car with someone I had never seen before," I explained.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to call the school but I got sidetracked at the airport. My mom is picking Eli up for me. She's there, right," she questioned.  
  
"Yes, she's here. I just wanted to verify with you that this was in fact her before I let your son go off with her."  
  
"Well if you see and older woman wearing sunglasses driving a white escape, that's her," she chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, she showed me her driver's license and a picture of you with two other people but I wanted to be sure."  
  
"Well thank you for taking such good care of my son, Miss Heath," she responded. I could hear some chuckling and a muffled 'Alex hurry up' in the background. "Miss Heath, what number are you calling from?"  
  
"My cell phone, why?"  
  
"I was just confused at first. I don't have your cell phone number so I almost didn't answer. But I'm glad I did. Thanks again for looking out for Eli, but I have to go."  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah, sure. Sorry to bother you. Have fun in Portland," I said.  
  
"Thanks, goodbye Miss Heath." She hangs up quickly.  
  
She couldn't wait to get me off the phone and I don't blame her. I looked around my room and saw Eli and his grandmother sitting on the carpet reading a book. I walked quietly over to them.  
  
"So, do I check out, Miss Heath," Pam asked. She looked up at me and smiled and I was once again seeing Alex in her face.  
  
"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry about all of this," I apologized running my hand across the back of my neck. "He's my responsibility when he's here and I don't want anything happening to him."  
  
Her smile grew even wider as she picked Eli up from her lap and placed him beside her on the carpet. She stood up and reached out her hand for a handshake.  
  
"It's really no trouble. I'm glad to see my daughter picked an excellent school with excellent people looking after Eli. Her and Eli are both right. You are pretty awesome," she chuckled.  
  
"S-s-she said that," I mumbled.  
  
Heath, what are you doing? What does it matter if she thinks you're awesome to her mother? That's not something you should be worried about.  
  
She laughed, but gave me a weird, confused look. "Yeah, don't worry. You're in the good graces of a celebrity...and her mom." She smiled.  
  
I laughed nervously. That's not what I cared about.  
  
"Come on, Eli," she suddenly turned to the boy. "Our flight leaves at 6 so we need to get ready."  
  
"Yay! We goin to Portland," he cheered and I couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. He clearly had no problem with his mom traveling.  
  
"Well, you guys have a great weekend. Cheer on your mom for me, Eli," I said.  
  
In true Eli fashion he stood up and came over to give me my fist bump. "I will! I'll tell her you said good luck! Let's go grandma!"  
  
With that, he grabbed his bag and headed towards the door.  
  
"Aye, aye Captain Eli," she saluted at him. "It was nice meeting you, Miss Heath. Have a good weekend."  
  
“You as well,” I replied as they walked out the door. 

What are you doing, Heath?

~~~~~~~~~~

That night, lying in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about Alex. I treated her horribly and I know I shouldn’t have ignored her like that. It’s been two days and I miss joking and teasing her. I miss her quick comebacks and the way she smiles after she tries to fake being mad. Maybe Kelley is right. Maybe I can have a friend. 

“What do you think, Max,” I asked rubbing his face that’s resting on my chest. “Can I have a friend in Alex Morgan?”

He leans up and licks my face.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I chuckled. 

I look over at the clock and see that it’s 9:30. Maybe, I can talk to her? I grab my phone and start typing out a text. 

_Hey, Alex. It’s Tobin. I just wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I also want to apologize for being so forward and just texting your phone. I was trying to be professional yesterday so that I don’t mess up this job. I really enjoy talking to you and would like to be your friend, if that’s okay?_

I look over the text. “No, that’s too weird.” 

I erase and start over again. 

_Hey, Alex. I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was cold and rude to you for no reason other than trying to keep things professional and that wasn’t right of me. So I’m sorry._

“No, that doesn’t sound good, either.”

Third times a charm.

_Hey, Alex._

“What, no,” I screamed. Just as I was going to type more my hand slipped and I accidently pressed send.

This was the dumbest decision of my life. What was I thinking? I shouldn’t be sending her texts like this. This is so ridiculous. She’s going to think I’m a creep for even doing this.

*Five minutes later* 

Alex: _Who is this?_

She responded!

Me: _Tobin Heath. I’m really sorry to just text you like this. You can block my number if you want._

“Smooth move. Are you trying to stalk her,” I berated myself out loud.

Alex: _No, it’s fine. Do you need something?_

“Be cool,” I gave myself a pep talk. “Just apologize. Don’t go into any detail unless she asks.” 

Tobin: _I wanted to apologize to you._

Alex: _For?_

Tobin: _How I acted yesterday. I ignored you in the morning and then was cold to you in the afternoon. You didn’t deserve that._

Five minutes passed. “Oh yeah, she hates me. Good going, Tobin. You managed to get the one person besides Kelley that you actually like to hate you. Kudos! One point for Heath,” I said sarcastically.

Just when I was about to cut my phone off for the night I heard my message notification tone.

Alex: _Why did you do it?_

Tobin: _I was trying to be professional._

“Yeah, Tobin! Lie to her. Great way to start off a friendship.”

Alex: _If you were being professional you wouldn’t have ignored me._

“Ouch. I suppose I deserved that.”

Tobin: _I know. I wasn’t thinking._

Five more minutes passed without a reply. I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to reply anyway. I wouldn’t reply back to that. 

Another five minutes went by and I decided to heed Kelley’s advice. What’s the worst that could happen?

Tobin: _I get nervous around you._

An immediate response.

Alex: _Why would you be nervous around me_

Tobin: _You’re Alex Morgan._

Alex: _So? You had no problem talking to me on Eli’s first day._

Tobin: _That was before I got to know you._

“Shit. Nice wording Heath,” I slapped my face with my hand.

Alex: _So I’m the problem? That’s good to know._

Tobin: _I didn’t mean it like that._

Alex: _How did you mean it then?_

Tobin: _I’m nervous around you because I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I like you, Alex. You’re so easy to talk to and I felt like I was talking to a friend I hadn’t seen in years when we first spoke. I found myself wanting to talk to you more so that I could see you smile and hear your laugh. Those are things I shouldn’t want from my student’s mother. It made me nervous and scared. I can’t want these things, but I do. I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but I am. I like you, and I want to get to know you more. I’m sorry for how I acted. I thought if I pushed you away I would get over it, but two days later you’re still all I can think about it._

I pressed send and immediately started crying. Three days and this woman has flipped my world upside down. Three days and I’m willing to put my job on the line just to tell her how I feel. This is something that can end my career at Forest Hills. All she has to do is attach screenshots of this in an email to the headmaster and I’m finished.

I hear my phone ding. 

Alex: _Can we talk about this when I get back on Sunday? I have my game tomorrow night but I’ll be flying back to LA Sunday morning. Meet me at Main Street Café at 2 o’clock?_

I sat in disbelief. I just told her how I felt and she won’t respond to me at all. I couldn’t even type a reply. I just cried myself to sleep thinking about the pretty blue-eyed forward.


End file.
